Today's News

HILLSVILLE — The General Assembly-triggered funding crisis for the Virginia Virtual Academy has passed for now, an official with the K12 company told the Carroll School Board on April 12.
Gov. Bob McDonnell took action to save the online school that provided educational opportunities to around 400 students across the state, an effort facilitated by K12 and the Carroll school division, recapped Suzanne Sloane of K12 in an update to the school board.

HILLSVILLE — Despite continuing trouble in the economy, Carroll’s 2012 budget proposes no real estate increase and a tax break for farmers.
“We, like all other counties and cities in Virginia, face some tough economic times,” said Financial Director Pam Smith at the outset of the first public presentation of the county budget at the April 11 board of supervisors meeting.

The State Corporation Commission will hold a public hearing next month in Abingdon on Appalachian Power Co.’s four recent rate requests and will hold four additional hearings in Richmond later this year.
APCo earlier this month filed requests that, if approved, would mean its residential electricity customers would see an increase of 9.6 percent in their monthly bills.

With ongoing increases at the gasoline pump, the cumulative effect of higher fuel prices is causing some drivers to change their habits and to seek ways to save money as they fill up.
However, cash-strapped and stressed-out motorists should be leery of some fuel conservation and money saving tips that are being offered, advises the American Automobile Association.
AAA Mid-Atlantic is seeking to debunk the latest myths and urban legends about saving fuel and money at the pump:

ROANOKE — A Twin County man facing illegal drug charges in federal court has entered a guilty plea to one count of distribution of methamphetamine.
A federal grand jury indicted Elijah Lee Bond, 24, in February on one count of conspiracy to distribute meth and four counts of distribution in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.

The Twin County All-stars pulled off a monumental upset over a group of ACC players Wednesday night. The locals actually led after one period of play.

Playing the Washington Generals to the ACC players’ Harlem Globetrotters, the locals staged a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback before falling 127-125 as the ACC Barnstorming Tour visited a jam-packed Galax High School gym.

In winning its fifth match in six outings Monday, Galax utilized soccer’s version of the carpet-bombing technique. The Maroon Tide put enough ordnance in the general vicinity, and two or three projectiles were able to find the target.

Galax fired 21 shots inside the goal mouth Monday afternoon and was able to get three of them to hit nylon – two by Marleigh Durham – as the Maroon Tide took a 3-0 nondistrict win over Carroll County.

Galax had two short-range goals answered by a pair of full-field comebacks by Carroll County as the two teams played to a 2-2 draw in a nondistrict match Friday evening.

The Maroon Tide may have gotten the better end of the deal statistically, outshooting the Cavaliers 22-8 and attempting 12 corner kicks to Carroll’s two, but Galax wasn’t able to translate the advantages into a game-winning goal.